Adjustable dumbbell

ABSTRACT

A dumbbell may include a handle, a first weighted portion and a second weighted portion, wherein the first weighted portion and the second weighted portion are located at two opposite ends of the handle. In one embodiment, the first weighted portion has a cover and a receiving space, and the receiving space has a center receiving hole and a plurality of surrounding receiving holes, each of which is configured to receive an elongated center weighted unit and one or more surrounding weighted units. Likewise, the second weighted portion has a cover and a receiving space having a center receiving hole and a plurality of surrounding receiving holes that can be used to receive each of the center and surrounding elongated weighted units. In one embodiment, the cover can be threadedly engaged with the outer peripheries of the first and second weighted portions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an exercise device, and moreparticularly to an adjustable dumbbell that the user can easily adjustthe weight of the dumbbell while exercising.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Several appliances for home or indoor gymnastics have been developed.Among various exercising appliances, dumbbell is one of the most commonand economic devices used in exercising the arms. Conventionally, adumbbell has round weights joined by a short bar, by which it is liftedor swung about in the hand for muscular exercise. This structure ofdumbbell has a fixed total weight once it is made. Therefore, differentscale of dumbbell shall be used for different volume of training.Furthermore, when a dumbbell drops to the floor or ground, the floor ofground may be damaged by the round weights of the dumbbell easily.

There are also disclosed several adjustable dumbbells which can beadjusted to increase or reduce the total weight according to a user'sphysical condition. One of the adjustable dumbbells generally includes ashort bar having a plurality of pin holes symmetrically disposed at twoopposite ends for releasably fastening different pairs of round weightsby lock pins. The common disadvantage of this adjustable dumbbell isthat the round weights may oscillate during exercising, causingbalancing problem. Another disadvantage of this adjustable dumbbell isthat the pins may be broken easily causing the round weights to dropfrom the short bar, and therefore, exercising accident may happeneasily. Further, increase the total weight of a dumbbell simultaneouslyincrease the total size of the dumbbell to make exercising difficult.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,093 to Chen discloses a further typical dumbbellcomprising a handle which can be grasped or held by the user, a numberof weight plates to be attached onto the ends of the handle forexercising or training the arms or the feet of the user, and a latchattached onto the end of the handle and/or the weighted plates forselectively or adjustably mounting or securing the weighted plates onthe ends of the handle.

However, the latch may not be easily or quickly assembled onto thehandle or the weighted plates such that the typical adjustable dumbbellmay not be easily or quickly assembled or manufactured. Therefore, thereremains a need for a new and improved dumbbell to overcome the problemsstated above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a dumbbell may include a handle, a first weighted portionand a second weighted portion, wherein the first weighted portion andthe second weighted portion are located at two opposite ends of thehandle. It is noted that the first and second weighted portions areidentical and symmetrically disposed at the opposite ends of the handle.The detailed description of the weighted portion on one side can beapplied on the side.

In one embodiment, the first weighted portion has a cover and areceiving space, and the receiving space has a center receiving hole anda plurality of surrounding receiving holes, each of which is configuredto receive an elongated center weighted unit and one or more weightedunits. Likewise, the second weighted portion has a cover and a receivingspace having a center receiving hole and a plurality of surroundingreceiving holes that can be used to receive each of the center andsurrounding elongated weighted units. In one embodiment, the cover canbe threadedly engaged with the outer peripheries of the first and secondweighted portions.

In another embodiment, the center weighted unit may have greater weightthan the surrounding weighted units. In other embodiments, eachsurrounding weighted unit may have different weights, and the dumbbellitself may have certain weight without the weight units. When in use,the user may have certain numbers of the weighted units and on eachside, and the cover is configured to cover the receiving space bythreadedly engaging with the outer peripheries of the first/secondweighted portions to prevent the weighted units from moving or fallingout while the user is exercising. It is noted that the weight on eachside of the first and second weighted portions and is usually the sameto keep the balance of the dumbbell, however under some special trainingcircumstances, the weight on each side might be different.

When the user wants to adjust the weight of the dumbbell, he/she canfirst remove the cover from the first/second weighted portions, add orremove the weighted units in the receiving space to adjust the weight ofthe dumbbell, and put the cover back again to the first/second weightedportions. It is noted that one end of the center weighted unit isreceived in a center receiving hole in the receiving space, and theother end thereof is received in a cover receiving space to furthersecure the center weighted unit. The surrounding weighted units arearranged in a circular manner surrounding the center weighted unit,corresponding to the arrangement of the center receiving hole andsurrounding receiving holes. It is also noted that one end of each ofthe surrounding weighted units is received in the receiving hole, andthe other end thereof is received in a circular receiving area in thecover. The arrangement of the weighted units on the first weightedportion is identical to that on the second weighted portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the adjustable dumbbell in the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the adjustable dumbbell inthe present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial exploded view of the adjustable dumbbell inthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofthe presently exemplary device provided in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms inwhich the present invention may be prepared or utilized. It is to beunderstood, rather, that the same or equivalent functions and componentsmay be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended tobe encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devicesand materials similar or equivalent to those described can be used inthe practice or testing of the invention, the exemplary methods, devicesand materials are now described.

All publications mentioned are incorporated by reference for the purposeof describing and disclosing, for example, the designs and methodologiesthat are described in the publications that might be used in connectionwith the presently described invention. The publications listed ordiscussed above, below and throughout the text are provided solely fortheir disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application.Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors arenot entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes reference to the pluralunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in thedescription herein and throughout the claims that follow, the terms“comprise or comprising”, “include or including”, “have or having”,“contain or containing” and the like are to be understood to beopen-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. As used in thedescription herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of“in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another. For example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of the embodiments. As usedherein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items.

In one aspect, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a dumbbell 100 may include ahandle 110, a first weighted portion 120 and a second weighted portion130, wherein the first weighted portion 120 and the second weightedportion 130 are located at two opposite ends of the handle 110. It isnoted that the first and second weighted portions 110 and 120 areidentical and symmetrically disposed at the opposite ends of the handle110. The detailed description of the weighted portion on one side can beapplied on the side.

In one embodiment, the first weighted portion 120 has a cover 121 and areceiving space 122, and the receiving space 122 has a center receivinghole 123′ and a plurality of surrounding receiving holes 123, each ofwhich is configured to receive an elongated center weighted unit 124′and one or more surrounding weighted units 124. Likewise, the secondweighted portion 130 has a cover 131 and a receiving space 132 having acenter receiving hole and a plurality of surrounding receiving holes(not shown) that can be used to receive each of the center 134′ andsurrounding elongated weighted units (not shown). In one embodiment, thecover 121/131 can be threadedly engaged with the outer peripheries ofthe first/second weighted portions 120/130.

In another embodiment, the center weighted unit 124′/134′ may havegreater weight than the surrounding weighted units 124/134. In otherembodiments, each surrounding weighted unit 124/134 may have differentweights, and the dumbbell 100 itself may have certain weight without theweight units. When in use, the user may have certain numbers of theweighted units 124′/134′ and 124/134 on each side, and the cover 121/131is configured to cover the receiving space 122/132 by threadedlyengaging with the outer peripheries of the first/second weightedportions 120/130 to prevent the weighted units from moving or fallingout while the user is exercising. It is noted that the weight on eachside of the first and second weighted portions 110 and 120 is usuallythe same to keep the balance of the dumbbell 100, however under somespecial training circumstances, the weight on each side might bedifferent.

When the user wants to adjust the weight of the dumbbell 100, he/she canfirst remove the cover 121/131 from the first/second weighted portions120/130, add or remove the weighted units (124′/134′, 124/134) in thereceiving space 122/132 to adjust the weight of the dumbbell 100, andput the cover 121/131 back again to the first/second weighted portions120/130. It is noted that, as shown in FIG. 3, one end of the centerweighted unit 124′ is removably received in a center receiving hole 123′in the receiving space 122, and the other end thereof is removablyreceived in a cover receiving space 1211 to further secure the centerweighted unit 124′. The surrounding weighted units 124 are arranged in acircular manner surrounding the center weighted unit 124′, correspondingto the arrangement of the center receiving hole 123′ and surroundingreceiving holes 123. It is also noted that one end of each of thesurrounding weighted units 124 is removably received in the receivinghole 123, and the other end thereof is removably received in a circularreceiving area 1212 in the cover 121. The arrangement of the weightedunits (124′, 124) on the first weighted portion 120 is identical to thaton the second weighted portion 130.

Having described the invention by the description and illustrationsabove, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the inventionand are not to be considered as limiting. Accordingly, the invention isnot to be considered as limited by the foregoing description, butincludes any equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dumbbell comprising a handle, a first weightedportion and a second weighted portion, and the first weighted portionand the second weighted portion are located at two opposite ends of thehandle, wherein the first weighted portion has a cover and a receivingspace, and the receiving space has a center receiving hole and aplurality of surrounding receiving holes; said center receiving hole isconfigured to receive an elongated center weighted unit and thesurrounding receiving holes are configured to receive one or moresurrounding weighted units; wherein the second weighted portion has acover and a receiving space, and the receiving space has a centerreceiving hole and a plurality of surrounding receiving holes; saidcenter receiving hole is configured to receive an elongated centerweighted unit and the surrounding receiving holes are configured toreceive one or more surrounding weighted units, and the weight of thedumbbell can be adjusted by adding or removing the weighted units. 2.The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein the cover is threadedly engaged with anouter peripheries of each of the first and second weighted portions. 3.The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein the center weighted unit is heavierthan the surrounding weighted units.
 4. The dumbbell of claim 1, whereineach of the surrounding weighted units may have different weights. 5.The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein one end of the center weighted unit isremovably received in a center receiving hole in the receiving space,and the other end thereof is removably received in a cover receivingspace to further secure the center weighted unit.
 6. The dumbbell ofclaim 1, wherein the surrounding weighted units are arranged in acircular manner surrounding the center weighted unit, corresponding tothe arrangement of the center receiving hole and surrounding receivingholes.
 7. The dumbbell of claim 1, wherein one end of each of thesurrounding weighted units is removably received in the receiving hole,and the other end thereof is removably received in a circular receivingarea in the cover.
 8. The dumbbell of claim 6, wherein one end of eachof the surrounding weighted units is removably received in the receivinghole, and the other end thereof is removably received in a circularreceiving area in the cover.